5. USC

The Trojans played like the best team in the country in their final four games of 2007, but will go into 2008 with plenty of questions. USC will lose quarterback John David Booty and tight end Fred Davis on offense, along with three very good players on the offensive line. The heart of the defense also will be gone, with tackle Sedrick Ellis, end Lawrence Jackson and linebacker Keith Rivers leaving. But coach Pete Carroll still has plenty of talent on hand. Freshman Joe McKnight looked spectacular against Illinois in the Rose Bowl presented by Citi. Mark Sanchez, a redshirt junior next season, is Booty’s heir apparent, but Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain will battle for the starting job in the spring. Another Arkansas transfer, Damian Williams, should boost the receiving corps. The Trojans’ schedule includes two difficult nonconference games (at Virginia on Aug. 30 and home against Ohio State), but the Pac-10 schedule flips with Oregon, Arizona State and California coming to the Coliseum.

Now, after signing day and the early entry deadline he has revised it.

4. USC Trojans
The Trojans will have to rebuild their offense [blah blah blah]. The defense also takes several hits, [blah blah blah]. But if USC can avoid the injuries that hampered it in 2007 — and if Mark Sanchez or Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain plays well at quarterback — the Trojans again will be a national championship contender.

Plus, with Ohio State jumping from #6 to #3, that makes the game on September 13th a battle of top-five teams on ABC in primetime.

What’s that you say? A preseason #1 team hasn’t won anything since SC in 2004? True. But starting out with support is a good thing any way you look at it.

Want to know how otherworldly USC’s football program has become?

That USC team that just pushed Illinois around all over the Rose Bowl on Tuesday might be the best team in the country.

And the worst USC team in the past six years.

Also, I like how this article includes the stat that, I think best captures the current USC dynasty:

USC is the only program to play in six consecutive BCS games, going 5-1. It is the first team in college football history to have six consecutive seasons of 11 or more victories.

(Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m not excited to see how Commish Rob is going to spin that into a negative.)

The No. 7 Trojans are better than both No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 LSU, which will play for the BCS championship Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome. The Buckeyes couldn’t even beat No. 13 Illinois, which was so clearly overmatched by USC. It’s a shame the Trojans can’t play the winner of the BCS title game in two weeks.

Also, they’ve predicted each of the bowl games. Their prediction of a 3-point win for Utah in the Poinsettia was pretty much right on, so hopefully that bodes well for their Rose Bowl prediction (27-10 SC, with Stafon Johnson as player of the game).

CommishRob’s first simulation? SC wins it all.

CommishPhil’s didn’t go so well, as Hawaii thrashed USC in the first round (using the BCS seeding).

Mine (using the ESPN Power 16 seeding) had some interesting matchups, as USC beat Illinois in the first round and lost to Georgia in the second. Tennessee beat both LSU and Florida, but Oklahoma ended up taking out Kansas (wha?) in the title game.

All of which proves that computers are fully worthy of deciding the national champion.